fashionable but slender poetical reputation of Hayley, then
in the wane; "the Bard of Memory slumbered on his laurels, and he of
Hope had scarce begun to attract his share of public attention;"
Cowper was dead, and had not left an extensive popularity; "Burns,
whose genius our southern neighbours could hardly yet comprehend, had
long confined himself to song-writing; and the realms of Parnassus
seemed to lie open to the first bold invader." The gradual
introduction of German literature into this country during such a
dearth of native talent, now led Sir Walter to the study of the German
language. He also became acquainted with Mr. G. Lewis, author of _The
Monk_, who had already published some successful imitations of the
German ballad school. "Out of this acquaintance," says Sir Walter,
"consequences arose, which altered almost all the Scottish
ballad-maker's future prospects of life. In early youth I had been an
eager student of ballad poetry, and the tree is still in my
recollection, beneath which I lay and first entered upon the
enchanting perusal of Percy's Reliques of Ancient Poetry. The taste of
another person had strongly encouraged my own researches into this
species of legendary lore; but I had never dreamed of an attempt to
imitate what gave me so much pleasure." He then speaks of some
successful metrical translations which he made at the High School; but
in original rhyme he was less fortunate. "In short," says Sir Walter,
"except the usual tribute to a mistress' eyebrow, which is the
language of passion rather than poetry, I had not for ten years
indulged the wish to couple so much as _love_ and _dove_, when finding
Lewis in possession of so much reputation, and, conceiving that, if I
fell behind him in poetical powers, I considerably exceeded him in
general information, I suddenly took it into my head to attempt the
style by which he had raised himself to fame." Sir Walter next hearing
a striking passage from Mr. W. Taylor's translation of Buerger's
_Leonore_, was induced to procure a copy of the original poem from
Germany, and "the book had only been a few hours in my possession,
when I found myself giving an animated account of the poem to a
friend, and rashly added a promise to furnish a copy in English ballad
verse. I well recollect that I began my task after supper, and
finished it about daybreak the next morning, (it consists of 66
stanzas,) by which time the ideas which the task had a tendency to
sum